Breakdancers around Australia say they have been the target of online abuse following the social media storm over Rachael “Raygun” Gunn’s Olympics performance.
Fellow breakdancer Leah Clark admitted she was a bit disappointed in Raygun’s performance but said she had earned her spot to compete in Paris.
“I have been a friend of Rachael and have competed against her for many years. I was so proud to watch her walk out. (But) the performance… I was a little shocked at what I saw to be totally honest,” Clark told ABC Hack.
“Rachael does have a quirky style and a unique character.
“To be honest on a personal level, I was a bit disappointed.
“Some of those choices weren’t the best for the Olympic stage … there were some questionable decisions made on her behalf.”
“I praise her for being her authentic self.”
“There is a huge amount of talent in Australia. But Rachael deserved to be there because she won the championships.
“We don’t have access to compete at high profile events regularly.
“The Australian b-girl scene is vast and powerful and maybe that wasn’t portrayed at the Olympics.”
Clark said she “can’t even open her social media” because it’s “flooded with trolls”.
“It’s just insane,” she continued, mentioning she and several other dancers have been communicating about how to handle the sudden explosion of negative publicity.
“The competitive girls have mixed emotions. We deeply care for Rachael and we’re worried about her and the amount of bullying she’s getting. Nobody deserves that. We hope she’s ok.
“On the other side, we’re kind of like ‘what happened there?’
“Some girls have been crying because they’re completely embarrassed to enter the next competition.”
She said some dancers are “terrified” to compete because of what people might think.
She also said the sport has taken a massive reputation hit and voiced concerns over future funding opportunities after breakdancing “was made a mockery of”.
Meanwhile, sports commentator Andrew Voss put a stern question to Australia’s Olympics organisers after Raygun’s performance on the world stage turned into a laughing stock.
He questioned why Australia elected to send anyone to compete in breakdancing if Raygun was the standard.
“Think she’s going to come back as a hero. She’s been slammed for her performance because it was hopeless compared to other performers,” he said on his SEN radio show with Greg Alexander.
“There are lots of sports where we are not represented, because we’re not at the level of the Olympics.
“How did this get through?
“It’s fine to say she was the best in the qualification, but if our best was hopeless, why did we send someone to compete in that discipline?”
But Gunn has remained positive and philosophical throughout the fallout to her performance, expressing her disappointment breaking won’t be at the LA 2028 Olympics.
“Don’t be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that’s gonna take you,” she said.
“I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves,” Gunn said after her performance went viral.
“So I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get in a lifetime to do that on an international stage?
“I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”
The sport’s inclusion has been highly controversial and it will not return for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles – much to the disappointment of Raygun.
“It was disappointing it was decided that it wouldn’t be in LA, particularly before we even had a chance to show it,” she said. “That was possibly a little premature. I wonder if they’re kicking themselves now.”
“What is an Olympic sport? What are the similarities between dressage and artistic swimming and the 100m sprint and the pentathlon?” she added.
“Breaking is clearly athletic, it clearly requires a whole level of dedication across a number of different aspects. It’s really bringing a new level of excitement.”
Source Agencies
